Validation
by Euphrasie Fauchelevent
Summary: Nico di Angelo seeks an escape from his past. Emilia Harkness seeks validation for hers. When Nico stumbles upon her café in France, cold, tired, and distressed, she wants to help. (Rated T just to be safe.)
1. Solitude

**A.N.: Just for clarification, I do not speak French, it is all translated; please tell me if there are any mistakes! Also, I do own Emilia Harkness, and any other OCs mentioned are owned by my friends, and I have permission to use them. Thank you!**

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The bell on the door jingled as Nico di Angelo entered the quaint café. He sought solace, an escape from his family, his whole life. He needed to get away. It had taken eight trains and a lot of walking, but he had finally gotten away from Venice, and all the memories that came with it: memories of his mother, his sister, and sometimes even his father that haunted his dreams. He had always felt attached to France, and Paris was always somewhere he longed to visit. However, he was much too tired and short on funds to continue to the city; for now, he would stay in Colmar.

The boy hid within his black coat and sat at a small table by himself, hoping to be left alone. It was much warmer in the café than outside in the rain. It was already somewhat late, and the lights were dim, and it smelled so nice, and he thought maybe he could just drift off for a few moments and no one would notice…

"_Excusez-moi, monsieur,"_ a voice distantly called. He nearly jumped out of his seat when he awoke and saw a young woman, hardly younger than him, staring down at him with a coffee in her hand. She had enchanting bright blue eyes and a face speckled with freckles. Her golden blonde curls were swept over her shoulder, and the print on her apron read _Café Colmar_.

"Sorry, I'll be going now…" he grumbled, standing up and heading for the door.

"Wait!" she called. He turned around, and she looked down at the coffee, pushing it forward, toward him. "This is for you."

"Hm…?" He looked between the girl and the mug in her hand and shook his head, once again trying to leave. "I don't have any money…"

"No, I insist." She left the coffee on the table and returned to the kitchen before returning with her own. She sat down opposite of his empty seat and held her mug in her hand, smiling. Nico attempted to suppress a laugh and smiled slightly, sitting across from the girl.

She sipped from her mug and cringed slightly before setting it down again. "I never really liked coffee all that much, it was always more of my brother's thing…" she admitted. Nico smiled a little bit more in return. "I noticed that you have quite the accent there. May I ask, is it Italian?" He nodded, and she looked at him in awe. "I've always wanted to go to Italy…" she sighed, and he looked into his cup.

"So, what's your name?" she asked him.

"Nico."

"Pleased to meet you, Nico. My name's Emilia Harkness, but you may call me Em, if you'd like. My brother Will is in the kitchen," she said, gesturing her head to the back of the café. Her brother poked out his head and waved, and Nico waved in return. "May I ask, what brings you to Colmar?" she asked curiously, tilting her head slightly.

He tensed, but tried to keep it hidden. "I'm on my way to Paris," he said. He felt it would be best to tell the truth, but not the whole truth.

Em's smile faded. "Oh." She looked down into her coffee, appearing slightly disappointed. "It's just that, well, Paris may be the 'city of love', but Colmar is great too, and hardly anyone ever comes here. Paris is overrated; if you want to get a true taste of France, you should stay in Colmar!"

Nico looked away. "Thank you, but…" He stood, still averting his eyes from Em. "I should probably be, uh," he tried to remember what he had told her before, "continuing to Paris. Thank you for the coffee, and your hospitality." He started for the door, but Em was close behind.

"Wait, please, I can't let you go. You seem very tired, I think I should help you find someplace to sleep for the night—"

"Thank you, miss, but I'm sure I'll find something on my own," he assured her, but with the money he had, an alleyway would be expensive.

"Everything here is in French, do you even have a grasp on the language?" she raised. He winced; that was true. When he didn't respond, she continued, "You don't have to stay in Colmar if you don't want to, I just thought it would be nice if we could be your guides. At least let us walk you to wherever you need to go. There are many hotels nearby, we could…" She was still talking, but Nico had more pressing matters to worry about. He hadn't really thought this far in his plan until she had brought up the many obstacles facing him in France; before, all he knew was that he wouldn't be able to travel anymore that night.

"I…don't have anywhere to go," he muttered in confession.

"…around the corner, and—What?" she asked, suddenly reminded of his presence.

He turned to face her, appearing somewhat embarrassed. His face flushed, and he loudly admitted, "I don't have anywhere to go, okay? But I don't need your charity. I can do this by myself, so just leave me alone!" He grabbed the doorknob and turned it forcefully, exiting the café and running into the darkness. Em stood at the door in shock.

"Em, we should go home." It was Will, and he already had his coat and scarf on, and he was holding Em's things out in front of her. She removed her apron and hung it on the rack, and pulled on her coat and scarf. She hardly noticed that while she was trying to get the mysterious boy to stay, Will had cleaned up the entire café. She suddenly felt slightly ashamed; Nico was never going to stay in the first place. She opened the door and stepped outside, holding the exit out for her brother. She sat in the passenger seat of Will's small car and stared out the window, taking in the very familiar surroundings and wondering about Nico. Will drove silently and only bothered her to tap her shoulder when they were home. Why had Nico pushed her away? She knew they were still only strangers, but she only wanted to help him.

She knew a little bit of help was all he needed to get back on his feet.


	2. Hesitation

Nico felt like he had been running in circles all night. It was so dark outside that it was impossible to see even outlines, and the rain was coming down in bullets. He just needed to find some place to sleep for the night. He was beginning to grow drowsy; he knew he couldn't run for too much longer. Like the answer to his prayers, he came upon a picturesque little place. A lantern attached beside the door illuminated charming tables and chairs outside, and they had shades to protect from the sun. He told himself that the owner wouldn't mind too terribly if he slept under the cover of one, just for one night. Then he would figure out how to get to Paris. Sunshades could function as umbrellas, right? He hoped so, and he rested his head on his arms and fell asleep to the lullaby of the rain.

The next morning, he awoke to the smell of pastries and coffee. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, and saw the figure that sat before him. It was all too familiar, like…no, it couldn't be…

"Good morning, starshine." It was Em! How did she know where he was? "I'll admit, I didn't expect you back so soon," she chuckled.

"What are you talking about?" he scoffed.

"This morning. We came in at seven, and we found you sleeping here. You should drink your coffee, it's going to get cold…" Em prodded, lightly pushing the coffee and the tray of pastries toward him.

"Stop trying to change the subject. You're trying to tell me that I wound up, of all places, _here_?"

She nodded. "I'm also saying that you lied to me about continuing to Paris."

Nico sighed and rubbed his temples. "I'm sorry I lied to you," he mocked. "For the record, I'm getting to Paris eventually." Em rolled her eyes. "I just didn't need your help, okay? I don't need your help."

Em looked slightly frustrated and annoyed, but shook it off. "What's your story?"

"My what? I told you to stop changing the subject!"

"Your story. Everyone has one. It's the person you are, and the things that happen to you. It's the people and things that make an impact on you. Even drinking that coffee is part of your story," she explained, looking down at his coffee in an attempt to get him to drink it.

"So, what you're trying to tell me is that me ending up here is part of who I am?" he asked, almost believing her.

"_Oui_. And I think it means that I'm supposed to help you." Nico snickered, tasting a pastry.

"_You're_ supposed to help _me_? That's a laugh. But if you mean you're going to keep giving me free food, be my guest," he said, taking another bite of the heavenly treat.

"Look, _something_ brought you to Colmar. Whether it be fate, destiny—"

"A train," he interrupted.

"Whatever. It's just that I—"

"Em?" They both looked to the door. Will stood there, appearing slightly overwhelmed. He looked between the two and a light blush tinted his cheeks as Em glared at him. "Oh, sorry, is this a bad time? But Em, can we have some more help inside? When you're done? It's, uh, pretty busy…" he trailed off, stepping back inside when Em nodded.

"Shouldn't you go back to work?" Nico asked, eager to stop talking about his life.

"It's fine. Don't change the subject. Nico, I believe that to get the most out of life, you have to be straightforward. So that's what I'm going to do now. You being here in Colmar is a part of your story, and so is being at the café. So if you just trust me, I can help you with whatever your situation is. I can give you a room, and food, and a job at the café so you can earn money for Paris. Do we have a deal?" She asked, stretching her right hand forward for a handshake.

Nico was suspicious. "But that doesn't make any sense. Why would you do all this for me and take nothing in return?"

She thought for a moment. "Can I be honest with you?"

"Whatever."

"My whole life, people have given me everything. I think this is supposed to be my chance to prove myself. I don't think I deserve what I've been blessed with unless I can help someone in return." She smiled a little sadly, and Nico knew she was sincere.

He was quiet for a moment before shaking her hand. "Fine. Deal."

Em lit up like the afternoon sun. "Really? Oh, that's wonderful! _Magnifique!_ I promise I won't let you down." She stood and took her apron from its place on her chair, tying it around her waist. She started for the entrance to the café.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"To work." She reached in the door and handed Nico a second apron, to which he raised his eyebrows. She chuckled. "You promised to work, remember? That was part of the deal." She smiled as he took the apron from her hand put it on. "That's better." Em held the door for him as she entered the café. Will was right; it was awfully busy today. Hardly any empty tables were left. She turned to call another employee.

"Hey, Shadow!" Em called, and a girl with short, frizzy black curls and brown eyes approached them, multiple plates in her hands. She nodded to Nico and smiled at Em.

"Hi Em, can I help you with something?" she asked, almost in a whisper, and with a slight Welsh accent. The girl looked as if she were dead, although she appeared to be younger than Em; she was deathly pallid, and was so petite and skinny that she looked as if she would crumble if one laid so much as a finger on her. Now that she was closer, Nico could see how pale even the pink of her lips was, and a few light freckles were visible along her cheeks.

"This is Nico," Shadow gently shook his hand. "He will be working with us for a while. Can he just follow you around for now? I want him to get a feel for the café. You can tell him to do anything you need." Em turned to Nico. "And _you_ have to do anything she says, okay?" Nico rolled his eyes. "Okay. I'll be in the kitchen. The other chefs called in sick today." She sighed. "If either of you need anything, just call me." With that, she turned and started for the back of the café, leaving Nico and Shadow to work.

After a long day at the café, Nico was exhausted. He never had to work a day in his life; his mother supplied everything for him. His mother. He pushed the thought of her out of his head; he was much too tired to think of her right now, and he couldn't have Em asking any more questions. Shadow had already left much earlier, though he wished she hadn't; he had really grown attached to her. Em and Will had removed their aprons and donned their coats, and Nico drowsily pulled on his own. Will started the car, and Em and Nico entered, Em in the passenger side and Nico alone in the backseat.

They drove in the dark, Nico taking in the scenery of Colmar. He had already come to know through Shadow that it was a very dry city; the rain he had experienced the night before was very unusual. But, so was everything else that had happened to him since he arrived. Could he really trust these two?

Before he could question their motives, however, they arrived. Nico stood before the house in awe, though calling it a house would be offensive; they practically lived in a palace.


End file.
